Ben Hardin

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Attorney Overview

Judge Ben Hardin (Martin Benjamin Hardin Jr.) was born on August 13, 1947 in the Dow Hospital in Freeport, Texas to Martin Benjamin Hardin and Emily Clyde Sims Hardin. The Hardin family lived in Lake Jackson where Hardin’s father worked in the Dow Chemical Company’s engineering department as an estimator. The family included the Judge’s older sister, Clinta Ann Steele, who lived in Sacramento, California, but died in 1995 shortly after he took office. Judge Hardin’s father died of heart disease in March, 1955. 

He graduated from Brazosport High School in 1965, having been named a National Merit Scholarship finalist during his senior year. During high school Judge Hardin was active in the band, winning a gold medal in clarinet solo competition his sophomore year at the State UIL solo contest in Austin. 

After graduation, Judge first enrolled at Case Institute of Technology in Cleveland, Ohio. Case was the alma mater of Herbert Dow, who founded the Dow Chemical Company. 

One semester in Cleveland was enough, however, and he transferred to the University of Texas at Austin. Judge Hardin was originally a chemical engineering/chemistry major, but received his Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature, with minors in history and government. 

In his senior year, Judge Hardin took the Law School Admission Test, and was admitted to the class which was scheduled to begin at the University of Texas School of Law in the Fall of 1969. However, he had to postpone his enrollment in the law school to fulfill his military obligation. Relying on his musical skills, he auditioned for and won a position as a clarinettist with the 236th Army National Guard Band, which was the official National Guard Band of Texas, stationed in Austin.

Judge Hardin enrolled at the University of Texas School of Law in the Fall of 1970, and graduated in May, 1973. During his senior year, he was a legislative aide for a member of the Texas House of Representatives during the 1973 Legislative term. 

After graduation from law school, Judge Hardin received a coveted position as a law clerk for Judge Hal Woodward, the United States District Judge for the Northern District of Texas, for the Lubbock, Amarillo and San Angelo divisions. During his one year clerkship, he served with the Honorable Jerry Smith, who is now a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which includes Texas. 

In June, 1974, he returned to Lake Jackson to practice law. He was in private practice in the Brazosport area continually until his appointment as a District Judge. 

In the fall of 1994, Judge Neil Caldwell, who had been Judge of the 23rd District Court since 1977, announced his plans to retire at the end of the year. Governor George Bush took office in January, 1995, shortly after Judge Caldwell’s retirement on December 31, 1994. On March 31, 1995, Judge Hardin received word from the Governor’s Office that he had been selected by the Governor to fill the vacancy created by Judge Caldwell’s retirement. 

Judge Hardin took office on May 10, 1995, after closing his private law practice. During his tenure on the bench, he has tried many cases, civil, family and criminal, both jury and non-jury. 

The 23rd District Court is a court of general jurisdiction, and handles civil cases as well as felony criminal cases. The Court, which is one of the oldest courts in the State of Texas covered Brazoria, Matagorda and Wharton Counties. Brazoria County was removed from the 23rd District, effective August 31, 2019 by the Texas Legislature in its 2019 term. The removal of Brazoria County from the District was a culmination of a 15 year vendetta by Dennis Bonnen , who was then the Speaker of the House. It is the only multi-county district court serving any of these counties. Judge Hardin’s initial term expired on December 31, 1996. He ran for election unopposed in 1996. After that election Judge Hardin ran for re-election six times, always without an opponent. He had to retire on December 31, 2024 due to the state constitutional provision that a person may not file for election if the new term would begin after the person is 75 years old. 

Judge Hardin joined the civil litigation firm Hartline Barger in February, 2025 as Of Counsel.

Judge Hardin is married to Suzanne Harrington Hardin, who was raised in the Westbury area of Houston. The Hardins have two sons, Trey and Sims.